I’m Hilary and I live in County Louth with my husband and two children aged 11 and 8. Our second child Luke was born with a bilateral upper limb difference, and we were lucky to find Reach early in our journey.
That first meeting introduced us to other parents with Reach kids and gave Luke the opportunity to play with other children like him which is hugely important. It provided us all with the reassurance that everything would be better than okay, and we have been attending any meet up that we can since then! Up until recently I have been a voluntary Breastfeeding Counsellor with Cuidiú and I’m currently studying Horticulture part time in the National Botanic Gardens. I am delighted to join Reach Ireland as a Branch Coordinator and look forward to meeting as many Reach families as possible
Hi, my name is Marianne, and I am the proud Mom of a little Reach girl. I am very excited about taking on this new role of Ireland Branch Co-ordinator. I am looking forward to creating opportunities for families and Reach young people to get together, learn from each other and have fun! I have a research psychology background and works in a young person’s charity. In my spare time, I like how the world looks from a yoga mat and collecting travel books for my travel hit list.
James – I am Dad to Sam (aged 4) and Ted (aged 1). We live in County Clare on the West Coast of Ireland and usually spend our weekends dodging showers of rain, drinking coffee, and eating ice-cream in the seaside town of Lahinch. On the 28th of December 2021 Sam, Ruth and I introduced the loving, mischievous and extremely determined Ted into our family. After a rollercoaster of a few weeks, a Plastic Surgeon in Temple Street Children’s Hospital in County Dublin introduced us to the Reach Support Group. We attended our first Reach meet-up in February 2022 when Ted was just 8 weeks old. With this meet-up came the realisation that we were not alone and that there was a community ready and willing to support our family and Ted as we began our journey. I am getting involved as a Branch Coordinator to assist this supportive community in staying active and connected.
